This archive report was first published on 21 August 2019.
Kenya's poor performance in the global ranking on the rule of law has been exposed, with the country ranking 101 out of 126 countries surveyed in the Rule of Law Index 2019.
According to the World Justice Project, Kenya scored 0.45, compared to 0.61 for Rwanda and 0.90 for Denmark, which was ranked the best globally in adherence to the rule of law.
The country's poor ranking is attributed to official impunity, runaway corruption, and insecurity, with Kenya performing poorly on right to life and security with a score of 0.27.
More worrying is a report by an agency in the Ministry of Interior, which warned that over 300 criminal gangs have been formed in the past seven years, bankrolled by politicians and businessmen with the connivance of rogue government officials.
The Kenyan Judiciary has also been exposed in the case involving the Akasha brothers in a US court, where it was heard that Kenyan government officials sustained the Akasha family drug empire through an elaborate bribery scheme.
Recently, some MPs were denied visas to travel to the US over allegations of terrorism, corruption, and being beneficiaries of proceeds of crime.
Kenya's poor ranking is a reflection of the wanton plunder of public resources and the impunity with which senior government officials get away with crimes.
“In countries where the rule of law is not established, there is violence, conflict, and extremism,” said Ambassador William Taylor, the executive vice president of the United States Institute for Peace (USIP).
